By Andrew Wychrij

The Nerazzurri boss has blamed appalling injury luck on his side's poor campaign, and believes the media have helped to undermine his position

Andrea Stramaccioni claims he is "convinced" he will remain as Inter coach next season, dismissing speculation that he may leave after a disappointing campaign.

Stramaccioni has endured a difficult first season at the club since replacing Claudio Ranieri as boss last March, but he insists he still has the backing of president Massimo Moratti and blamed his side's struggles on a string of injury problems.

"After 12 months I am still convinced that I can stay at Inter," he told journalists at a press conference.

"I don't like to complain and I'll never wail, but this year absolutely everything happened to us. We laid important foundations for the future, including players we have secured who perhaps you don’t know about.

"I never felt alone, because the president protects us all. If he defends me and the players, then that process is long and constant. The directors are always here at the training ground."

Inter have dropped to eighth in Serie A after a series of underwhelming results, including defeats to Cagliari, Atalanta and to Juventus in March's Derby d'Italia, but Stramaccioni feels that the media have also played a role in undermining his position.

"The trouble is my image in the media," the 37-year-old opined.

"After beating Napoli it was as if I was the 'Special One - Mark Two', then now I'm considered not even worthy of Serie A. Having said all that, on May 20 as the president said, you'll know what the future holds for Inter.

"We must play the remaining six games to the death. You do your work and I'll do mine. From the outside people try to find someone to blame, but the truth is the injuries have forced us to change tactics. When we had a full squad at our disposal, we were capable of beating everyone."